Eleven is the magic number for Martin Truex Jr. There are 11 races left in the NASCAR Cup Series season, which means there are 11 chances left for Truex to go to victory lane. He’s retiring at the end of the season, so a win wouldn’t just break the …
Eleven is the magic number for Martin Truex Jr.
There are 11 races left in the NASCAR Cup Series season, which means there are 11 chances left for Truex to go to victory lane. He’s retiring at the end of the season, so a win wouldn’t just break the drought dating back to July 2023, but potentially be the last one he earns in the series.
“Yeah, I thought of that before when I’ve won,” Truex said. “I try to always enjoy them all like they were the last because you never know. When we won our last race of the year last year, [we] probably thought we were going to win a couple more before I announced retirement at least. It’s just been tough.
“We certainly perform at the level we need to to get it done but just haven’t. It’s a tough sport and it’s hard to win these things. It takes a lot more than a fast car, so we’ll keep trying.”
Truex has 34 career wins in the Cup Series. His next win would break a tie with Kurt Busch and give Truex sole possession of 20th on the all-time wins list.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
Plenty of chances have come and gone for his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team. After winning the 2023 regular-season championship, Truex is ninth in the standings going into the finale at Darlington Raceway (Sunday, 6 p.m. ET). This year, he has three stage wins and 489 laps led (fourth-most in the series).
“We’re right there; we’ve been knocking on the door,” Truex said. “It’d be nice to win a couple before it’s over.”
The highest driver on the playoff grid without a victory, Truex has to protect a 58-point lead in the Southern 500. He has victories at six of the final 11 tracks on the schedule.
“We’ve got a lot of potential but we’re not quite finishing the deal,” he said of his outlook for the final stretch of the season. “It’s been for numerous reasons, and it was my fault [at Michigan], just trying too hard at the end of the race and stepped over the edge. We should have run fourth and, instead, we were 24th. That one’s on me.
“In general, [we’re] consistently fast, which is good. If we can just put everything else together, we’re going to be in good shape. It’s just been frustrating the last couple of months.”
Martin Truex Jr. will have to start at the rear of the field Sunday at Indianapolis and serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the Brickyard 400. NASCAR announced Saturday afternoon that Truex’s team made an unapproved adjustment after passing …
Martin Truex Jr. will have to start at the rear of the field Sunday at Indianapolis and serve a pass-through penalty at the start of the Brickyard 400.
NASCAR announced Saturday afternoon that Truex’s team made an unapproved adjustment after passing inspection. In addition to negating their qualifying position (14th) and serving the pass-through, the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team will lose pit stall selection for the race. Chris Jones, the car chief, has also been ejected for the remainder of the weekend.
NASCAR has issued the same penalty multiple teams this season.
Kyle Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports team was penalized at Talladega Superspeedway for an unapproved adjustment to the roof rails after passing inspection and pushing the car to pit road for qualifying.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
Tyler Reddick’s 23XI Racing team was penalized at Charlotte Motor Speedway for an unapproved adjustment (the underwing) after passing inspection for the Coca-Cola 600.
Justin Haley’s Rick Ware Racing team was penalized for an unapproved adjustment after passing inspection at Nashville Superspeedway.
Truex’s Toyota passed without issue on the re-inspection at Indianapolis. Cup Series teams went through inspection Saturday morning before qualifying.
NASCAR also ejected Will Norris, the car chief of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports entry driven by Todd Gilliland. The car failed inspection twice and the team also lost its pit stall selection.
Chase Briscoe will have a new home with Joe Gibbs Racing next season as he inherits the No. 19 Toyota Camry from Martin Truex Jr. Truex, 43, announced he will retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the end of this season after …
Chase Briscoe will have a new home with Joe Gibbs Racing next season as he inherits the No. 19 Toyota Camry from Martin Truex Jr.
Truex, 43, announced he will retire from full-time NASCAR Cup Series competition at the end of this season after winning 15 races for Joe Gibbs over the last six seasons.
“I’m excited for this opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing and Bass Pro Shops,” Briscoe said. “From a competition standpoint, JGR is the place to be if you want to go win races week in and week out and to race for the championship every year. I am blessed that Johnny Morris and Bass Pro are on board to help us carry on the legacy of the 19 car.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
“For me personally, being an avid outdoorsman, there’s a lot of pride in now being a part of the Bass Pro brand and I’m extremely grateful for this partnership. Getting to meet Johnny, I feel like I share a lot of the same values as him and Coach, and I’m ready to get to work and prove that they have made a great choice putting me in this car.”
James Small, who took the reins of the team in 2020 after Cole Pearn’s departure, will continue as the team’s crew chief, while Bass Pro Shops will continue as a team sponsor.
“We have been honored to stand beside Martin Truex Jr. for the last 21 years and together with our friends at Joe Gibbs Racing over the last six years,” said Johnny Morris, said founder of Bass Pro Shops. “We are proud to represent sportsmen and women across North America as we extend this relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota and Chase Briscoe.”
Briscoe lands on his feet a month after Stewart-Haas Racing, who he currently drives for, announced it will shut down at season’s end. The 2025 season will be Briscoe’s fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series, and Gibbs will be the second team he’s driven for at the sport’s top level. He has one win and one playoff appearance in 126 career starts.
[lawrence-related id=357166]
Briscoe, who turns 30 years old before the 2025 NASCAR season, has signed a multiyear deal with Joe Gibbs Racing.
“We are extremely excited about the future of our 19 team with Chase behind the wheel and the partnership with Johnny, J.P. and everyone at Bass Pro Shops,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “I talk about it often, but one of the great things about our sport is the relationships you have the opportunity to build around your teams and certainly we are just so thankful to have that with everyone at Bass Pro Shops.
“We obviously do a lot of research before selecting our drivers and through the process everything kept pointing us back to Chase. With James’ (Small) leadership, Chase behind the wheel, and the support from Bass Pro, and of course Toyota, we couldn’t be more excited about the future of our 19 team.”
The move to Gibbs will put Briscoe behind the wheel of something other than a Ford for the first time in his NASCAR national series career. The Indiana native made his debut at 22 years old for Brad Keselowski in the Craftsman Truck Series. It was his only full year in the series as Briscoe began competing in the Xfinity Series a year later – on a part-time schedule – before going full-time in 2019.
Briscoe won 10 races through the 2019-20 seasons and finished inside the top five in the championship points in both seasons. The performance made him Tony Stewart’s handpicked replacement beginning in 2021.
Although he had been leaning toward retirement for most of the season, Martin Truex Jr. still wasn’t totally sure until he officially informed Joe Gibbs Racing a few weeks ago. “It just took a while to think about it all,” Truex said Friday at Iowa …
Although he had been leaning toward retirement for most of the season, Martin Truex Jr. still wasn’t totally sure until he officially informed Joe Gibbs Racing a few weeks ago.
“It just took a while to think about it all,” Truex said Friday at Iowa Speedway. “It’s a big decision. It affects not just me but a lot of people, and that’s the toughest part. You don’t want to let people down.”
Truex will vacate a full-time ride in the NASCAR Cup Series after 19 seasons. The 43-year-old has spent the last six seasons driving the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. His resume includes two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships and a Cup Series championship.
“In the 21 years that I’ve done this, I’ve never missed a race, I’ve never missed a practice, I’ve never been late for anything, I’ve never missed an appearance,” Truex said. “You live your life by a schedule that somebody makes for you, and it’s just time for me to make my own schedule. That’s really what it boils down to. I want to go do the things I want to do, and I don’t want anyone to tell me when I can and when I can’t do those things.
“I still love racing. I’m still going to race some. I don’t know what, when, how, why. I don’t know any of that yet, but I feel very fortunate to be in this position [and] to be able to make this decision on my terms. It’s something I always wanted to be able to do.”
Truex didn’t rule out running Xfinity Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs, who joined Truex for his press conference, said the company might be able to talk him into running some races. Furthermore, Truex will remain involved at Joe Gibbs Racing in an ambassador role, with projects and details to be figured out in the future.
“What we’re really excited about is Martin continuing with us and the future,” Gibbs said. “I’m sure I’m going to have to find [him] someplace in a boat or with Johnny [Morris] in a tree blind someplace, but we’re going to run him down. We’re excited about the future.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
The decision to retire comes after multiple seasons of Truex going year-to-year on his contract. Why it happened now was simply because it “felt like the right time” to him. It has nothing to do with performance, although he admitted some days are more fun than others.
Truex is fifth in the Cup Series championship point standings with 10 races left in the regular season, winless entering the inaugural event at Iowa Speedway.
“I’ve thought about it a lot for the past few seasons and just waited for that feeling in my mind to be positive, like, ‘OK, I’m good; I want to do something else,’” Truex said. “Something just felt different this year for me, and I felt like it was time to slow down and do something else. It’s been a great ride, though, obviously.”
At the Cup Series level, Truex has 34 victories and a championship. In the elimination format era (2014 to present), he’s made the championship five times, won one championship, and claimed the regular season championship twice. He even has two crown jewels on his resume — wins in the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500 — as part of his 48 victories across the three NASCAR national series.
“I would say I’ve achieved more than I ever thought I would,” Truex said. “That being said, there are a lot of heartbreakers and things to go back and think about like, ‘Man, if that had turned out different…’ A championship [and] three runner ups in this format [is really good].
“I’m proud of what I’ve done. I feel like I gave it everything I had, and I feel like I was really, really good at what I did, so I’m happy with that. I’m content. I feel good. I’m happy. I feel good about this.”
Martin Truex Jr.’s eventful day at Sonoma Raceway ended with his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry barely reaching the finish line. Truex ran out of fuel on the final lap of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. He was running second when it went dry and Truex …
Martin Truex Jr.’s eventful day at Sonoma Raceway ended with his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry barely reaching the finish line.
Truex ran out of fuel on the final lap of the Toyota/Save Mart 350. He was running second when it went dry and Truex coasted, at a snail’s pace, the final 100 yards or so to the finish line. By the time he made it there, he was the last car on the lead lap in 27th position.
“I’m not sure why we didn’t try to save a little at the end,” Truex said. “I was clearly not going to catch [Kyle Larson] or pass him. It’s a shame that we went around the last corner and went from second to wherever we finished. It sucks, but it was a tough day, and we had a good car. We battled and did a good job. We were going to have a good day, but just one corner short.”
It was a disappointing end to a day where Truex looked primed for a fourth Sonoma victory. However, it wasn’t going to come easy after being spun by Will Brown during an accordion effect on lap eight. Truex fell to 37th place and finished the first stage in 19th place.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
He finished the second stage in third place. The final stage is where the No. 19 began to make up ground.
Their final stop came on lap 68. Truex cycled out second to Chris Buescher and was on the RFK Racing driver’s bumper in the final 12 laps. Truex made a pass on Buescher for the race lead with nine laps to go but missed his mark a few corners later, which opened the door for Larson to make the winning pass.
Larson drove away from Truex over the final laps. The end result was just the second time in the last six Sonoma races that Truex did not finish inside the top three.
“It was a tough day,” Truex said. “I got spun out early and had to work hard to get some track position back. James (Small, crew chief) did a good job on our strategy. Our car was pretty good out front; thought we were going to have a shot to win there and just couldn’t quite get by the No. 17 (Chris Buescher) quick enough.
“I finally cleared him; I made a mistake and the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) was right there to pounce and then obviously ran out of gas, so it didn’t matter.”
Martin Truex Jr. had the freshest tires for overtime on Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, and his valiant charge got him to fourth place in the AdventHealth 400. “Just trying to find somewhere to go, you know?” Truex said. “Restarting from 10th with …
Martin Truex Jr. had the freshest tires for overtime on Sunday night at Kansas Speedway, and his valiant charge got him to fourth place in the AdventHealth 400.
“Just trying to find somewhere to go, you know?” Truex said. “Restarting from 10th with four tires is tough to do in two laps. I just needed to clear the 9 (Chase Elliott) a little quicker and needed to get into (Turn) 3 single file, and then I probably had a chance.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
“But we were two-wide and that made me tight off Turn 4 – couldn’t quite get the run I needed to get to the win.”
Truex was the first driver on four tires for the restart. He came off pit road in 10th position and chose to restart on the outside of the fifth row (which kept him 10th). At the white flag, Truex was in a battle for third place with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott and cleared them both through Turns 1 and 2.
Off the final corner, coming to the checkered flag, Truex appeared to have a run on the two leaders of Kyle Larson and Chris Buescher. However, those two wound up in a photo finish and Truex was nipped at the finish line by Elliott, who ran with him side-by-side down the frontstretch.
The 402-mile race might have ended differently for Truex had it not been for the final caution. Truex, who had pitted under caution with 70 laps to go, was catching Hamlin, who was in fuel-save mode because he’d stayed out under that caution. The run started with 62 laps to go, and Truex restarted outside the top 10.
Truex moved to fifth place with 35 laps to go, was third with 10 laps to go, and overtook Larson for second place two laps later. He had nearly caught Hamlin when the caution flew with seven laps to go that sent the field down pit road for overtime. The nine drivers who came off pit road in front of Truex had all taken two tires.
“I don’t know, just frustrating,” Truex said. “We were looking really good until that last caution, as always. I don’t know what we need to do to close one out, but the guys did a good job with our Auto-Owners Camry. We were in position to steal one there.
“(We) definitely had the best car, but fought hard all night, made good decisions and made the car better and better. That was great, but always stinks when you see the lead and can’t get it.”
Truex finished seventh in the first stage and fifth in the second stage. He did not lead a lap in Sunday’s race.
Martin Truex Jr. still believes his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate jumped last weekend’s final restart at Richmond Raceway. “My opinion is the same,” Truex said Saturday about Denny Hamlin. The two restarted side-by-side for overtime, Truex on the …
Martin Truex Jr. still believes his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate jumped last weekend’s final restart at Richmond Raceway.
“My opinion is the same,” Truex said Saturday about Denny Hamlin.
The two restarted side-by-side for overtime, Truex on the outside of Hamlin. Hamlin was the race leader, having taken the top spot by beating Truex off pit road. Until the caution had come out, Truex was in control of the race and had led 228 laps.
NASCAR did not penalize Hamlin after initially saying it was “awful close” on the restart. NASCAR senior vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, then said two days later that Hamlin did go early and it might have been officiated differently earlier in the race.
Truex has not talked to NASCAR. The former Cup Series champion also said he doesn’t know the restart rules and doesn’t think anyone else does either.
“I’ve seen what was said,” Truex said of NASCAR’s explanation. “I read what they said and I heard what Elton Sawyer said that if it happened with 50 to go or 100 to go or 300 to go, they may have called. It’s clear as mud.”
As the series shifts to Martinsville Speedway, the conversation has been on how closely NASCAR will monitor the restart zone. As a result, some drivers believe everyone will be on their best behavior to avoid being penalized. Truex is one of them. Sort of.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
“I guess if you try to jump, don’t be surprised if they penalize you,” Truex said. “I don’t know. I don’t really understand — it’s a black-and-white rule. You get to the box and you go. I don’t really understand what all the questions are about. You go before it, you should get penalized.”
Truex said he doesn’t know the answer to whether NASCAR needs additional restart rules or something put in place to police them. The race leader, the control car, has to fire first anywhere between the two lines designated as the restart zone.
“It’s hard to follow the rules, and then somebody breaks the rules and doesn’t get in trouble for it,” Truex said. “It’s ridiculous.”
Despite still facing questions about what happened at Richmond, Truex said last weekend is water under the bridge. Saturday, he qualified fourth at Martinsville Speedway, where he’s won three of the last 10 races.
“It’s a race, it’s over,” Truex said. “I was frustrated. It’s aggravating to lead an entire race, dominate a race, and then have it go away that way because I think that’s the fifth or sixth time it’s happened at Richmond. So, you just get aggravated, and it all piles on in a short amount of time, in just 10 or 15 minutes.
“I clearly lost my cool and did some things I’m probably not proud of. But you move on, you got to next week, and you hope you can come out on top and do a better job.”
A dominating night for Martin Truex Jr. at Richmond Raceway turned into frustration and fender slamming over the final lap of the Toyota Owners 400. The final caution with two laps to go set everything in motion. Truex had control of the race and …
A dominating night for Martin Truex Jr. at Richmond Raceway turned into frustration and fender slamming over the final lap of the Toyota Owners 400.
The final caution with two laps to go set everything in motion. Truex had control of the race and was leading Joey Logano when Kyle Larson spun off Turn 4 from contact with Bubba Wallace. In the ensuing pit stops, Truex came off pit road second to Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, putting them on the front row for the restart.
Hamlin chose the inside and got the early advantage going into Turn 1, which Truex said was because Hamlin jumped the restart. He then took issue with how Hamlin ran him through the corner to take the lead and drive away.
But it didn’t end there. On the final lap, Truex lost second position to Logano in Turn 1, with Larson challenging his inside going down the backstretch. Truex turned left into Larson, and the two made additional contact off turn 4, which was initiated by Larson admitting he didn’t care if he squeezed Truex into the wall.
[lawrence-related id=351386]
The two traded more shots after the checkered flag. Truex then set his sights on Hamlin, running into his back bumper at the end of the backstretch on the cool-down lap.
“It’s unfortunately happened to us a few times here at Richmond,” Truex, who ultimately finished fourth, said about a victory slipping away. “We lead the whole race and then a (expletive) move brings out a caution coming to the white flag and ruins our whole night.
“It was unfortunate, but honestly, just an awesome job by my whole team. The Auto-Owners Camry was a rocket. It was something like we’ve had here in the past and unfortunately, this has happened to us a few times.
“We came in (to pit road) with the lead, go out second to the fastest pit crew on pit road is a tough one to swallow. But I feel like we still could have had a race for it but just got used up in Turn 1 on the restart.”
Truex led a race-high 228 of 407 laps and won the second stage.
“I felt like (Hamlin) used me up down there in Turn 1, and I didn’t really appreciate a teammate racing me like that,” Truex said. “I wish he would have (given) me a chance. But that’s the way it is.”
As for the Larson scuffle, Truex pointed the finger at the Hendrick Motorsports driver for starting the contact.
“He drove into the side of me in (Turns) 1 and 2, and I got a little loose down the backstretch,” Truex said. “I don’t know if my left rear was going down or what, and I kind of slammed into him. No big deal.”
Kyle Larson believes he just happened to be the outlet for Martin Truex Jr. to vent his frustration during Sunday night’s overtime finish at Richmond Raceway. Larson and Truex traded multiple shots on the final lap of the Toyota Owners 400. The …
Kyle Larson believes he just happened to be the outlet for Martin Truex Jr. to vent his frustration during Sunday night’s overtime finish at Richmond Raceway.
Larson and Truex traded multiple shots on the final lap of the Toyota Owners 400. The first came from Truex down the backstretch when he turned left into the right side of Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Off Turn 4, Larson ran Truex up the track, and the two collided twice more after the finish line.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
“My view was Denny [Hamlin] used him up off (Turn) 2, just ran him out of racetrack to get the lead, which you’re going to do that on a green-white-checkered,” Larson said. “Then he was kind of falling back in the middle lane. [Joey Logano] got to his inside and kind of ran hard into (Turn) 1, and then I just followed the 22 through (Turns) 1 and 2.
“I think Martin … I don’t know if his spotter didn’t say that I was inside of him or what, but he just hung a left and hit my right front, had me up on the apron, and then turned left on me down the middle of the backstretch. Then we’re drag racing to the start/finish line, and I didn’t really care at that point if I was going to squeeze him into the wall since he turned left on me on the backstretch.
“I think, ultimately, he’s just mad at Denny, and I was the closest guy to him to take some anger out on.”
Larson finished third and Truex fourth, with the two combining to lead 372 of 402 laps and split the stage wins. Larson claimed the first stage and Truex the second.
Ironically, the caution that set up overtime was Larson spinning off Turn 4. Larson, who was running fourth, got loose off the corner, and contact from a closely trailing Bubba Wallace sent him spinning down the frontstretch and into the grass.
Despite the spin, Larson didn’t lose too much ground. He came off pit road fifth for the final restart and chose the outside lane to put himself on the outside of the second row.
“Good fortune, I guess,” Larson said of how the spin and caution didn’t end his chances. “I don’t really know how to describe it. I got lucky. I got lucky that I had room to spin and thankfully, I was hoping the grass wasn’t going to be too slick.
“I kind of got it pointed somewhat straighter when I got to the grass, and that helped me get going. Just thank my lucky stars.”
Wallace came to Larson after the race to apologize. It was a friendly conversation between the two.
“He wasn’t being intentional and if it was intentional, it was to help his race out to get a caution and hopefully have a good pit stop,” Larson said. “But it didn’t work out that way. It just is what it is.
“I’d be (expletive) off right now if I was spun and would have finished in the 20s or whatever. But I had some good karma today, and he had the bad karma from it (with a bad pit stop).”
Martin Truex Jr. remembers the details of his first trip to Daytona International Speedway as if it were yesterday, and marvels at how different his life was back then. How much time has flown and how different things are – for himself and for …
Martin Truex Jr. remembers the details of his first trip to Daytona International Speedway as if it were yesterday, and marvels at how different his life was back then.
How much time has flown and how different things are — for himself and for NASCAR — is why Truex is in disbelief that he is about to make his 20th start in the Daytona 500. The first came when he qualified a third entry for Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2006. It was his second year of running a limited schedule for the company.
“It’s changed drastically, as you could imagine,” Truex said of his life and career. “When I first got to come down here, I still couldn’t believe I was getting the opportunity. Basically, up until ’03, I never once expected or was really 100% working toward being a driver for a living. I was working — I was racing for fun, I was racing as something … I just did what I did.”
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1428]
At the time, Truex was a full-time driver for Chance 2 Motorsports in what is now the Xfinity Series. A start in the Daytona 500 was only the second time he’d competed in a NASCAR national series race at the speedway.
“I honestly was shocked when I got a call to come test a car for DEI for Chance 2,” continued Truex. “And then when I got here, I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t believe I’m here.’ I’d go in the hauler to test for the first time and my firesuit’s hanging up and I’m like, ‘I didn’t have to take that to the dry cleaners.’ That’s the kind of things I thought when I first came.
“I just remember I didn’t have to work on the car. I didn’t have to do anything but show up and drive it. It didn’t make any sense. So that’s how much has changed. It’s crazy. And now, obviously, I come here, and the only thing I want to do is win. That’s the only thing that matters. I don’t have to do anything else but come here and try to win.”
Truex has not won the Daytona 500 in 19 tries. The closest he came was inches — or one-hundredth of a second — to Toyota teammate Denny Hamlin in 2016. It’s the closest finish in Daytona 500 history.
Sunday, Truex will be behind the wheel of a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry for the 66th running of the Daytona 500, trying once more to add a win in NASCAR’s most storied race to a résumé that already holds many significant accomplishments in the sport. At Chance 2, Truex became a two-time Xfinity Series champion. A year after losing to Hamlin in the Daytona 500, he became a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The journey hasn’t been easy. Truex felt he should have won at least a couple more races at Dale Earnhardt Inc., and during his tenure at Michael Waltrip Racing, there were seasons of success that also should have netted more victories. Furniture Row Racing is where Truex became a champion, establishing himself as one of the sport’s top drivers.
Dale Earnhardt Inc., however, also went through turbulent times and eventually became Earnhardt Ganassi Racing before completely disappearing. Waltrip closed the doors after a race manipulation scandal rocked his organization in 2013. A year after winning the championship, Barney Visser shuttered his Furniture Row operation for financial reasons.
Truex has driven for Gibbs for six seasons and won 15 races. At no other team did Truex win as many races. And at no other team has he had such stability.
“It’s been great,” he said. “Honestly, for whatever reason, I thought about this the other day. I’ll be at JGR longer than I’ve been anywhere after this year. Which even surprised me thinking about it. I was like, DEI … wait a minute. If you count the (Xfinity) Series days, it was a little bit longer, but Cup, this is going to be where I’ve been the longest, which is surprising to me.
“It’s been nice because, yes, I don’t have to worry about anything. JGR is so stable … and every year, they’re always asking me, ‘Are you coming back? Are you coming back? We want you.’ So, it’s a lot different than the way it used to be. It’s nice not having to worry about that.”
The only concern for Truex these days is trying to win the Daytona 500 before it becomes a trip he’s made for the last time.